Carlo Aonzo Mandolin Workshop and Concert

Classical mandolinist Carlo Aonzo of Savona, Italy will present a mandolin workshop and concert in Kalamazoo, Michigan on June 15-16, 2006.

The mandolin workshop will be held on June 15 at the Crescendo Academy of Music, 359 S. Kalamazoo Mall, Suite 12, Kalamazoo, Michigan. Additional information including advance tickets and dinner package reservations and mandolin workshop reservations may be obtained by phoning 269-345-6664 or emailing crescacademy@aol.com.

The concert follows at 8:00 PM on June 16 at the Park Club, 219 W. South Street, Kalamazoo, with Carlo presenting a program of classical music for mandolin from the 18th through the 21st century. Admission is $17 adults and $5 for students. Seating is limited. A reception with light refreshments follows the program.

About Carlo Aonzo:

Carlo Aonzo, mandolinist, is a native of Savona, Italy. From a musical family, his initial teacher on the instrument was his father. He went on to study with Ugo Orlandi, the current patriarch of the Italian mandolin camp, at the Cesare Pollini Conservatory of Padua. His playing has been recognized with awards at prestigious competitions including the "Vivaldi" prize of the 6th annual Vittorio Pitzianti National Mandolin Competition in Venice as well as the 27th annual Walnut Valley National Mandolin Contest in Winfield, Kansas.

Carlo has toured throughout northern Europe, Italy, and the USA as a soloist or with chamber ensembles and orchestras. He worked with many musical institutions including La Scala Philharmonic, Milan. As director of the Ligurian Plectrum Orchestra (Orchestra a Pizzico Ligure), he has been called to play in the presence of Pope John Paul II. Since 1998 he has created and directed the annual winter Festival Internazionale di Mandolino in Varazze, Italy; performers there have included the most respected names in mandolin and guitar. He is an active scholar of historic mandolinists and mandolin repertoire and has contributed to The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. He is a regular faculty member at the mandolin-oriented Kaufman Kamp and teaches annual June workshops in New York.